1996 Lanson Brut Gold Label Vintage

This vintage wine has power and some toastiness, but the fruit tastes overripe, like an apple gone over the hill, and the flavors of yeast and toast are not well integrated. Angular and sour, finishing with a bitter edge.

Fruit-driven aromas of orange gelato, tangerine and minerals. Fat and sweet on entry, then dense and rich but vibrant in the middle, with powerful fruit flavor of clementine. Like fresh-squeezed orange juice. Shows off the vintage's exhilarating combination of sweetness and acidity. Finishes very long and young, with powerful acidity carrying the fruit. The best bottle I've tasted from Lanson in years.